Most people believe the best way to forget someone is to throw them down a well. Or lock them in a room with eight keys, or bury them at a crossroad in the thirteenth hour. But they’re wrong. The best way to forget someone is for them never to have existed in the first place.

Madame Marisol’s Unreality House was where you brought people to make that happen.”

When Tuesday wakes from sleep for the first time at sixteen, she opens her eyes to a world filled with wonder – and peril. Left with only a letter from the person she once was, Tuesday sets out to discover her past with the help of her charming and self-serving guide, Quintalion.

Along the way she runs into one-legged mercenaries, flying cities, airships, and a blind assistant librarian. But danger lurks amidst the steam. The leader of the merciless Daybreakers is hunting her, convinced that she killed the only woman he ever loved. Tuesday will need all her wits about her to survive long enough to find out who she is and her connection with the mysterious Book of Days: a book that holds untold power…

I wanted to read this book for a few main reasons.

1) The cover

I mean, isn’t it just BEAUTIFUL.

2) The blurb

I don’t often read blurbs. But this one was awesome. It sounded very whimsical and different and something I would vastly enjoy.

3) That quote from John Marsden.

“Dazzlingly different.” I mean, of course I’m going to listen to John Marsden.

All this contributed to a DESPERATE need to read this book.

Aaaand…

Well.

This is going to be a very difficult book to review, because while I LOVED some parts of it, I didn’t like a lot of parts. So let’s start with the good.

QUINTALION.

Quintalion was such an awesome character. He reminded me a bit of Jack Sparrow – sorry, CAPTAIN Jack Sparrow. He’s described in the blurb as “self-serving,” and it’s true – he has this sort of arrogance and charisma about him, but it’s very funny and not overdone. He’s a really fantastic character and I love how Tuesday can tell his different moods through the sorts of sarcasm he displays. A+++ for Quintalion. (plus, what an awesome name!)

Thank you for being part of this book, Quintalion.

The way it kind of reminded me of The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making.

That book seriously needs to get a shorter title. But anyway, this book IS “dazzlingly different.”

It’s also wonderfully whimsical, excellently eccentric and uniquely unusual. I absolutely LOVED the beginning of the book. I loved Madame Marisol’s Unreality House and how that was set up. I loved the world that was created. I loved Tuesday and Quintalion and Hester.

Unfortunately, it went a bit downhill after that.

What went wrong?

We had some excellent eccentric-ness for a while, and places that were amazing to read about. But then it became more about running and hiding than actually GETTING anywhere. I wanted to know more about how Tuesday was finding her name!! It all jumbled together and it wasn’t as dazzlingly different once we got past halfway. My interest dwindled and the pacing became quite a lot slower.

So that was unfortunate..

BUT THE BEGINNING.

So I would highly recommend reading the first half and then…maybe stopping there. UNLESS you really love it, in which case you might love the rest of the book!! You never know.

Rating: 3/5 Wonderkitties

AND TELL ME: what’s the weirdest, quirkiest book you’ve ever read? Because I LOVE quirky books and I totally need more books on my TBR…okay, not so much the second part of that sentence.

Reading the first half than stopping…pffft. As if THAT can happen. xD But I have to confess I’m probably a bit wary of starting this one. Although Quintalion is an awesome name. It’s reason enough to read the book, I suspect. And plus I adore (Captain) Jack Sparrow sorts of characters…ah. This is difficult. 😉

I think I’ll probably end up read this one! xD THAT COVER. *drools* Seriously, it’s amazing. I just finished Fairyland (nope, nope, nope, not tying that title out) which I enjoyed so I can see myself liking this one. Shame that the second half wasn’t as good — I don’t think it would be possible for me to stop halfway through though.. 😛 (Unless it was really really really really bad.) Probably the quirkiest book I’ve read was Fairyland. 🙂

The cover is superbly gorgeous! And I read the blurb straight after you said how awesome it was, and it totally is. What a good way to sell the book and it’s uniqueness. The characters all sound amazing, and I’m heaps curious as to how Tuesday got her name as well. And she was sleeping till 16? Sleeping or a coma? Is she technically still in that coma/sleep by any chance? 😛 The sucks that the second half wasn’t as great, but a good start to a book would usually propel me to finish it. Wonderful review Em

Great review Emily, I have been wondering about this book especially since I’ve met the author and she’s totally lovely! I’m interested in the quirkiness of this book, and thanks for warning us about the running and hiding.